About the role
Campus
LANGSTON
Contact Name & Email
Human Resources , luhumanresources@langston.edu
Work Schedule
Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm with occasional evenings and weekends.
Appointment Length
9 months or less
Hiring Range
$50,000 - $55,000
Commensurate with education and experience
Special Instructions to Applicants
For full consideration, please include a resume/curriculum vitae, cover letter, official transcript, and three professional letters of recommendation.
**Please ensure all required documentation is submitted at the time of application. If an official transcript must be requested through a third-party transcript service, please contact Human Resources in advance for instructions.
About this Position
Langston University, Oklahoma's only Historically Black College and University and an 1890 land-grant institution, invites applications for a full-time Instructor of Biology. This is a teaching-intensive appointment with primary responsibility for delivering the Department of Biology's foundational curriculum to both science majors and general education students.
The successful candidate will teach non-majors biology lecture and laboratory, majors biology lecture and laboratory, and Biology II lecture and laboratory. The position is central to student success at the gateway level, where retention and progression in the sciences are established, and to the University's land-grant mission of expanding access to STEM education for students from historically underserved communities.
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree in Biology or a closely related biological science from a regionally accredited institution, or a Master's degree in another field with a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in biology, consistent with Higher Learning Commission faculty qualification requirements. (degree must be conferred on or before agreed upon start date)
- One year of college-level biology teaching experience, including laboratory instruction. Graduate teaching assistantship experience with independent responsibility for laboratory or recitation sections will be considered toward this requirement.
- Additional post-secondary education beyond requirements may substitute for years of required experience.
Skills, Proficiencies, and/or Knowledge
- Demonstrated content mastery across the introductory biology sequence, including cell structure and function, metabolism, molecular genetics, Mendelian and population genetics, evolutionary mechanisms, organismal diversity, and basic ecology.
- Ability to teach the same core content at two levels of rigor, adapting depth, pacing, and assessment for science majors and for general education students.
- Proficiency in standard undergraduate laboratory techniques and instrumentation, including light microscopy, aseptic technique, micropipetting, spectrophotometry, gel electrophoresis, and basic molecular methods.
- Working knowledge of laboratory safety practice, including chemical hygiene, biological waste handling, personal protective equipment, and Safety Data Sheet interpretation.
- Skill in constructing valid assessments aligned to stated course outcomes, and in interpreting assessment data to modify instruction.
- Proficiency with learning management systems, electronic gradebooks, and standard productivity and presentation software.
- Ability to manage multiple course preparations and laboratory sections concurrently while meeting institutional deadlines.
- Effective written and oral communication with students, colleagues, and staff.
- Ability to establish and maintain professional working relationships within a small department and to contribute constructively to shared governance.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ph.D./Ed.D.
- Ph.D. in Biology, Biological Sciences, or a closely related life-science discipline (e.g., ecology and evolutionary biology, cell and molecular biology, microbiology, zoology, or physiology).
- Ph.D. in the biological sciences with graduate training broad enough to support instruction across the foundational biology curriculum, from non-majors general education courses through the majors introductory sequence.
- Two (2) or more years of college-level teaching experience as instructor of record for introductory biology lecture and laboratory courses, including courses serving both science majors and non-majors/general education students.
- Three (3) or more years of combined experience teaching, coordinating, or assisting in undergraduate biology instruction, with demonstrated effectiveness in gateway-level courses where student retention and progression are established.
- Experience teaching first-generation college students and students from historically underserved communities, preferably at an HBCU, minority-serving institution, or open-access institution.
Certifications, Registrations, and/or Licenses
- Current laboratory safety training or certification (e.g., OSHA laboratory safety, bloodborne pathogens, biosafety, or chemical hygiene training) relevant to supervising undergraduate teaching laboratories.
- Certification in online/hybrid course design or instructional technology (e.g., Quality Matters) is desirable.
Skills, Proficiencies, and/or Knowledge
- Broad command of foundational biological principles and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to students with widely varying levels of preparation.
- Demonstrated use of active-learning, inclusive, and student-centered pedagogies shown to improve retention and success in gateway STEM courses.
- Ability to design, set up, and safely manage multi-section teaching laboratories, including equipment, specimens, and materials.
- Proficiency with learning management systems (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, D2L) and instructional technology for lecture and laboratory instruction.
- Skill in academic advising, early-alert/proactive outreach, and connecting students to campus support resources; commitment to the University's land-grant mission of expanding access to STEM educatio